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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. charge — a price
  6. ground — the earth
  7. charge — in control
  8. clip — a video
  9. bank — of a river
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bank — for money
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — steady
  17. clip — to cut
  18. charge — electricity
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bank — for money
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com